


Ariadne auf Naxos

by Mikauzoran



Series: A Night at the Opera [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Aged-Up (25), Alternate Universe - No Powers, Dorks in Love, Emotional Support, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Getting to know you, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Love at First Sight, Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Adrien Agreste - Freeform, Mild Angst, Moving On, Romance, Spending Time Together, Talking, True Love wins, adrienette - Freeform, cat!Plagg, fast burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24236512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikauzoran/pseuds/Mikauzoran
Summary: When Marinette’s cheating boyfriend deserts her in a bad part of town in the middle of the night, an unlikely “knight in shining armor” comes to her rescue and sweeps her off her feet.In which Adrien falls in love hard and fast and Marinette is ready to take a chance on this sweet guy she’s just met. True love of mythic proportions ensues.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: A Night at the Opera [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1759210
Comments: 55
Kudos: 236





	Ariadne auf Naxos

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there and welcome! I'm Mikau. It's a pleasure to meet you. For those of you who already know me, welcome back! Thank you all for checking out my latest work. I hope you enjoy it. ^.^
> 
> Come check me out on Tumblr: https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/

It was bad.

Everything that could have gone wrong _had_ gone wrong, and it was all Lila’s fault.

At least, that was what Marinette was telling herself. That was what she had to tell herself. Otherwise, she was going to cry, and then she would be alone, in a bad part of town at nearly three in the morning, newly liberated from a relationship that had been circling the drain even before Lila stuck her tongue down Marinette’s boyfriend’s throat…with smudged mascara on top of everything.

Marinette would _not_ cry.

She bit her bottom lip and tipped her head back a little, looking up to keep the tears from leaking out of their prison.

It wasn’t just the demise of her relationship. Her shoes were killing her. Théo had driven them to the club to see Nino DJ, so Marinette had gotten all dressed up in uncomfortable high heels that were far too treacherous to be trying to walk home in.

But what choice did she have?

She’d stayed behind with Théo after the rest of her friends had gone, so she couldn’t get a ride home with them. She’d dropped her phone, and then someone stepped on it, finishing it off, so she couldn’t call anyone. The trains had stopped at one-forty, and she hadn’t spotted a taxi yet.

She was contemplating walking back and asking at the club if she could use their phone, but there was a chance that Lila and Théo were still there, and she didn’t want to risk running into them or even just catching sight of them because then she would cry…and she couldn’t stand the thought of waiting outside the club for someone to pick her up either.

She had to keep moving. It was the only way to hold herself together.

The sound of a car slowly coming up behind her broke in on her thoughts.

She watched the headlights stretch her shadow into a nightmarish abomination as they passed.

When the black Ford Mustang pulled over a couple meters ahead, Marinette’s heart started racing in her chest.

She told herself that it was probably fine, probably nothing, she was overreacting…but she slipped her keys out of her purse and gripped them in her fist, sticking out between her fingers, anyway.

She kept her gaze straight ahead, watching the car warily in her peripheral vision.

She picked up her pace to the best of her ability, ignoring the pain in her feet as the toe box of her shoes pinched and the strap around her heel cut into her flesh.

The car window rolled down.

“Good evening, Mademoiselle,” a young, male voice called politely from the car.

Marinette did not stop, but she involuntarily slowed as she looked automatically at the man who had spoken to her.

Her eyes caught on his: deep, dark green in the dim light, and then she did come to a halt.

He was gorgeous: blonde with soft lines, neither angular nor strictly curvy. He was slender but solid, trim with the hint of muscle.

He was also vaguely familiar. Where had she seen him before?

“Are you okay?” he called with what seemed like genuine concern. “This isn’t the safest place to be walking around alone at this hour.”

Marinette took a step towards the car, too caught up in getting a better look at his face to register what he was saying.

His eyes widened, and they recognized each other at the same time.

“Hey, it’s Marinette, isn’t it? Nino’s fiancée’s friend? We were introduced briefly at the club. I’m—”

“—Adrien Agreste,” she supplied with a chuckle, a part of her amused that he thought he needed to tell her who he was when his face had been plastered all over Paris for ten years running.

“Yeah,” he laughed awkwardly, as if embarrassed. “So, hey. What are you doing out here by yourself? Where’s your boyfriend?”

Marinette looked away, crossing her arms across her chest and shaking her head. “He… We broke up,” she cut to the chase. “He’s probably back at our apartment with another woman right now, so…” She shrugged, trying to play it off nonchalantly.

Adrien cursed under his breath, getting out of the car and coming around to her.

He looked really good in leather pants.

He slipped off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders in a fluid motion before stepping forward to open the passenger’s side door for her.

“Here. Get in. I’ll drive you.” It wasn’t so much an offer as an explanation of what was going to happen.

He carefully guided her in and closed the door behind her, going back around to his own side.

“This is a stupid question, but are you okay?” he inquired gently, eyes soft and full of sympathy.

Now that she was no longer in motion, things were starting to catch up with her, and the tears slowly began to slide down her cheeks.

Marinette shook her head. “Sorry. It’s just…my phone broke, so I can’t call anyone, and I can’t go back to my apartment because it’s really Théo’s apartment, and my feet _really_ hurt, so…” She pulled his jacket more tightly around herself. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Adrien promised, pulling out a pack of tissues from the glove compartment and handing them to her. “You can use my phone. Is there anyone you can call to stay with?”

Marinette thought for a minute but came up blank. She’d been so caught up in her relationship with Théo the past few years, she’d been neglecting her friendships. She couldn’t think of anyone she was close enough with to impose upon at that time of night.

“Well…there’s Alya, but…Nino and Alya’s apartment is kind of tiny. There’s barely enough room for two people, and I wouldn’t want to disturb them,” she sighed, swiping at the tears as they trickled down her cheeks, leaving inky trails of mascara in their wake.

“I guess I could always move back in with my parents, but it’s too late to go home and wake them up and get them all worried about me.” She chewed thoughtfully on her lip, weighing her options.

She turned to Adrien. “Do you happen to know any relatively cheap hotels in the Latin Quarter where I could spend the night? That way I could just walk to my parents’ bakery tomorrow.”

Adrien winced. “Not cheap hotels, no. Sorry.” He hesitated a beat and then cautiously added, “But…if you like, you can come home with me.”

Marinette’s mouth dropped open.

Mentally kicking himself, Adrien rushed to clear up the misunderstanding, “Not like that! That’s not what I meant. My flat has a guestroom. I meant you could use my guestroom.”

Marinette’s eyebrows arched in surprise. “O-Oh.”

“Not that I wouldn’t be interested in—” Realizing that that was not the kind of thought he should be voicing, Adrien quickly cut himself off. “Sorry. I meant, like, _eventually_. Hypothetically. If you and I were dating for a while and you decided you were in love with me too and…”

Adrien placed a palm over his own mouth. “Sorry. What I’m trying to tell you is that you’re really pretty and super interesting, but I’m not trying to get you into bed with me tonight, so if you’d like to use my guestroom, you can do so without having to worry about me expecting anything or pressuring you or trying to make a move on you.” He looked away, mumbling, “I apologize for my inability to just say that like a normal person.”

“It’s okay,” Marinette decided. “It’s actually kind of reassuring that a godlike supermodel can be a bit socially awkward, and after having my boyfriend cheat on me in front of my face, it’s nice to know that _the_ Adrien Agreste thinks I’m pretty.”

“So long as you don’t think I’m a weirdo,” Adrien sighed in relief.

“Being a little weird isn’t always a bad thing,” Marinette assured, fastening her seatbelt. “You’re sweet. If you really don’t mind, would it be all right if I borrowed your guestroom for the night?”

“Absolutely,” Adrien replied almost gleefully, fastening his own seatbelt. “I’ll drive you to your parents’ house after breakfast tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Adrien,” she sighed, sinking back into the leather seat and finally beginning to let go of all the worries that had been plaguing her.

“You’re more than welcome.” He put the car in drive and signaled to merge back onto the road, despite the fact that not a single car had passed since they’d been sitting there. “I’m just glad that I saw you as I was driving by.”

“It was nice of you to stop even before you recognized me as an acquaintance,” she hummed thoughtfully.

He chuckled softly at that, as if embarrassed once more. “Thanks. I try.”

He was a little strange, a bit awkward, she thought, but he was unquestionably sweet, obviously a good person. She could do a lot worse for rescuers, and, besides, he intrigued her. She wanted to learn more about this Adrien Agreste who was so different from the image projected by the model on the billboards.

The drive to Adrien’s flat was fairly short and relatively uneventful. She didn’t feel like talking, and he didn’t press her. She was grateful for that.

When they arrived, he went around to the other side of the car and opened the door for her. Consistently the gentleman, Adrien opened all of the doors along the way, and it was kind of nice.

He carried her shoes and helped support her weight as she limped up three flights of stairs without complaint or comment, as if it were natural for him to step in and help, no trouble or bother at all.

She began to wonder if he was really serious about not trying to get her into bed with him. She’d never met a boy that chivalrous before.

Adrien’s apartment was huge with an open floor plan. The kitchen area was to the left as you entered, and the living area lay just beyond that with a long white couch, large-screen TV, and a wall of windows letting in the moonlight. On the right wall were two doors which Marinette supposed led to the bedrooms.

“Sorry for the mess,” Adrien apologized perfunctorily as he switched on the lights. “I don’t have guests often, so it’s not as clean as I’d like you to see it.”

“So long as you don’t have cockroaches or mice, I’m completely over it,” Marinette promised, still taking in the impressive space.

“No need to worry about that,” he laughed, bending to scoop up the black cat who had sauntered up to meet them. “Plagg would take care of it if there were any. Say ‘hi’, Plagg.”

Plagg gave an indignant “mrrrumph”.

“Aww,” Marinette cooed, tentatively reaching out to scratch the cat’s ear. “Hi, Plagg. I’m Marinette. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Mrow,” Plagg replied indifferently before turning to look at Adrien and chirping expectantly.

“You already ate,” Adrien sighed, setting Plagg down.

Plagg pointedly chirped again.

“He says he’s still hungry,” Marinette translated helpfully.

“You’re _always_ hungry.” Adrien rolled his eyes. “He’s like a black hole.”

Plagg grumbled unintelligibly as he batted at Adrien’s shoe.

“Fine,” Adrien caved, heading for the fridge. “You can have one little chunk of Camembert, but that’s it.”

Happily, Plagg pranced after Adrien into the kitchen, hopping up onto the island in the center to await his treat.

Marinette didn’t bother holding in a laugh. “I see he’s got you trained.”

Adrien shrugged, getting out the Camembert wheel and a knife to cut off a piece. “I’m a huge pushover, honestly. Can I get you anything, Marinette?”

“Just a glass of water, please,” she requested, padding barefoot into the kitchen to lean forward on her elbows on the island.

Adrien got Plagg squared away with his cheese before grabbing a glass from the cabinet and heading back to the fridge. “Perrier or Evian?”

“No preference. Surprise me,” she chuckled.

Adrien pursed his lips and considered her for a moment. “Perrier,” he decided.

Once Marinette had finished her glass of water, Adrien escorted her to the first door on the right wall.

“There’s only the one bathroom between the two rooms, but if you want to jump in the shower first, go for it. I’ll go fish up some sweatpants and a t-shirt for you to sleep in and leave them on the bed. Feel free to borrow whatever shampoo or body wash you need, and fresh towels and washcloths are in the cabinet above the toilet,” he informed, every bit the attentive host.

As he turned to leave, she caught his wrist and watched his cheeks turn a charming shade of cherry blossom pink.

She smiled warmly, a caress in her voice as she breathed, “Thank you, Adrien. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

He shrugged, a goofy smile quickly spreading across his lips. “Happy to be of service, My Princess.”

She felt better after she showered and changed into the makeshift pajamas Adrien had gotten together for her. His scent on the clothes was soothing. She could get used to his Bvlgari Blv body wash.

She pulled down the duvet and considered sleep for a moment before summarily rejecting the idea. She was too wired for sleep.

She opened the bedroom door and went back out into the great-room, thinking she’d stare out the giant window for a while and think things out until her mind slowed down a bit.

She was surprised to find Adrien, now also clad in pajamas, already sitting on the couch, gazing out the window.

“Hey,” he greeted her, setting down his mug of mint tea on the coffee table. “Everything okay?”

She nodded, sinking onto the couch beside him. “Couldn’t sleep, is all. Lots of thoughts running through my head. I was just going to stargaze a little until I started feeling sleepy…. Did you have the same idea?”

He smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Yeah. Lots of thoughts,” he echoed.

She pulled one leg up underneath her and focused her attention on the night’s sky, not noticing as Adrien kept his eyes on her.

“…Are your feet still hurting you?” he inquired tentatively.

She gave a mirthless laugh. “Yeah. Unfortunately, fashion is pain. My feet are going to be feeling it for at least a week.”

“Would you want me to rub them?” he offered, not sure if she’d appreciate it or be weirded out.

She blinked at him. “Seriously?”

“If you’d like.”

She only hesitated a second before surrendering the appendages, setting them carefully in his lap. “Are you sure you’re not trying to seduce me?” she laughed.

Adrien’s entire face turned red, but he shrugged and replied coolly, “I said that I wasn’t trying to get you in bed with me tonight. I never said that I wasn’t hoping to court you long-term.”

“Oh,” Marinette giggled. “So you _can_ be suave.”

Adrien grimaced, gently gliding his thumb up the arch of her foot. “On occasion, I have been known to be charming. This is usually when I shut my mouth and just concentrate on looking pretty.”

“You should offer foot rubs. You’d be irresistible,” she advised.

“I’m more concerned with getting one girl in particular to like me than being universally irresistible.” Adrien looked up to meet her eye and smiled shyly.

Marinette gulped, suddenly very cognizant of every spot of contact between them.

“Sorry.” Adrien dropped his gaze. “I know now isn’t really an appropriate time for that.”

She was about to protest that right now was the perfect time for that, but he spoke first.

“Are you okay, Marinette?” He looked up at her again with clear green eyes like peridots, genuine care and concern in his gaze.

Her heart fluttered.

She took a slow inhale, pausing to really evaluate her situation. “No and yes,” she answered honestly. “I…”

She paused, wondering _how_ honest she should be. She had just met this guy, and, while he seemed to like her, there was always the chance that being too honest could mess that up.

She looked into Adrien’s eyes once more and decided to go all in. “I haven’t been happy in my relationship with Théo these past two years we’ve been living together, so…while part of me really is grieving the loss of the relationship, there’s another part of me that’s relieved that it’s over.”

Adrien’s eyes widened slightly, and his lips formed a soft “Oh”.

“It wasn’t all bad,” Marinette rushed to explain, lest he get the wrong idea. “Théo can be really sweet and very romantic. He’s passionate and driven. He doesn’t do things by halves, and there have been times when I’ve had a lot of fun with him. He can be really great, and there were times I was happy, especially in the beginning.”

“May I ask what happened?” Adrien inquired tentatively, scared to upset her but sensing that she might want to talk and get some things off her chest. “If you feel like telling me, I’m happy to listen, but you don’t have to,” he quickly assured before she could think that he was pressuring her.

Marinette bit her lip, weighing her options. “I…Yeah. Sure. I think…we wanted different things, and we weren’t on the same page as far as expectations. Two years ago, when he asked me to move into his apartment with him, I thought we were finally starting a life together.” A wistful expression came to her face. “I thought he was going to propose at any time and we were going to get married and start having children and…you know. A life…the things I’d always imagined as a child watching my own parents and how they were together, the life they’d made.”

“Is Théo not the marrying kind?” Adrien guessed through a grimace, switching over to rub Marinette’s other foot.

Marinette shook her head sadly. “I asked him about a year ago, trying to take his temperature on the idea of getting married and starting a family, but…he said he didn’t see the point. We were already doing pretty much everything a married couple did. He said I could get pregnant if I wanted, but that was my decision.”

Adrien held in the snarky remarks marching through his head about Théo. He made himself take slow breaths in an attempt to cool his temper because he found himself wanting to punch Théo for his cavalier attitude towards fatherhood. It hit too close to home for Adrien, reminding him of his own distant father.

“But I’m guessing that’s not how you wanted things to play out,” Adrien replied softly.

Marinette shook her head. “I know a lot of people move in together and have kids without getting married and that works for them, but…I just always wanted…you know. The ceremony. The church service with the white dress, the Chinese-style banquet and red dress afterwards…the honeymoon, house shopping, decorating my own space, putting our stamp on it as a couple, making it a home…. I know people do just fine without all that, but…it’s important to me, making it official.”

“Of course,” Adrien assured supportively.

“Also…I was kind of scared,” she confessed, voice soft and fragile. “I’ve known enough people who haven’t gotten married and had kids together and then broke up. I’ve had friends who have had the fathers of their children walk out on them. Maybe it’s just naïve, idealistic thinking because there are plenty of married couples with children who divorce, but…for me, being legally married feels like a safety net. It takes a lot more time, energy, and money to get out of a marriage than it does to break up with a girlfriend, so I thought that if he did think about leaving me for someone else, if we were married, he’d think twice.”

She broke out into an ugly laugh, tears starting to slip down her cheeks once more. “It looks like I was right not to have children with him. What would I have done tonight if I’d had a baby and nowhere to sleep?”

Adrien reached out, placing a hand on top of hers. “We would have gone back to your apartment and brought your child here,” he informed matter-of-factly.

Marinette’s tears instantly dried, and she stared at him dumbly.

“I love children.” He cast her a shy but sunny smile, warm and honest.

Her heart did a cartwheel.

He went back to massaging her foot.

“Your child would have been welcome here, so don’t worry so much about the what-ifs. You’re safe, free, and you don’t have any children to worry about, so it’s all good,” he informed in an attempt at comforting her.

It seemed to work. “…How do you feel about marriage, Adrien?”

He blushed and looked down, smiling as he confessed, “I’ve been fine-tuning the details of my wedding since I was six. I’ve never known whom I was going to marry, but I’m a _huge_ romantic. I’m like you. I want the ceremony.”

He mentally updated his master plan to include a Chinese-style banquet after the church ceremony instead of a reception. He stuck a note on his mental refrigerator to research what exactly a Chinese ceremony entailed. He hoped they’d still get to do a first dance to [Ed Sheeran’s Perfect](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDDMYw_IZnE).

Marinette nodded her approval, giving him yet another point.

There was a lull in conversation as Marinette got lost in her thoughts, spinning what-ifs that included a certain blonde with peridot eyes and an angelic smile.

“…Do you mind if I ask why you stayed with him so long?” Adrien inquired hesitantly as he began to massage up Marinette’s ankle to work on her calf.

Marinette sighed. “Stupidity. Fear. All the wrong reasons.” She shook her head, mentally berating herself. “I should have known it wasn’t going to work out. Théo’s a wonderful person, but…like I said, I hadn’t been happy in the relationship. I felt kind of like he was using me. It was always about me supporting him: modeling for him, making his meals, doing the laundry, running the errands, keeping the apartment clean… He was never supportive of my career like that. I’ve never met his parents—another bad sign that I should have picked up on—but I suspect that his mother caters to his father’s every whim because that was how Théo seemed to think that a relationship was supposed to go. I don’t know about your parents, but my mom and dad are equal partners in their marriage. Yeah, technically, it’s my dad who comes from the long line of bakers, and my mom helps, but if my mom wanted to…I don’t know. Open a flower shop. My dad would be behind her one hundred percent. He’d probably learn about flowers the way my mom learned about bread, and then they’d run a flower shop half the time, the bakery three days a week, and alternate Sundays or something because that’s what partners do.”

She took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh, covering her face. “That’s the kind of teamwork I want in a relationship…and even though I knew it wasn’t going to work that way with Théo, I hung on because a lot of the people I knew were getting engaged or married and having kids and starting their real adult lives, and I just felt like I was being left behind. I thought I didn’t have a choice, so I just had to make the best of it with Théo because I’m twenty-five, and it was really hard to find Théo and click with him in the first place. I thought that if I left Théo, I would never find someone else who liked me.”

She lowered her hands and smiled sheepishly, shrugging.

He cautiously returned her grin as he switched to rubbing her other calf. “Well. Whether or not we click is up to you to decide, but I can certainly assure you that you’ve found someone else who likes you.”

“Do you?” she giggled. “You can still say that after all I just told you about what a mess I am?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I definitely still like you.”

She pursed her lips, hesitating before throwing caution to the wind and revealing what was in her heart. “Good. Because I definitely like you too.”

A wave of elation made Adrien’s heart swell. “You-You do?”

She nodded, unable to keep the brilliant grin from her lips. “Maybe I’m jumping the gun a little, but…” She shrugged, draping her arm over the back of the couch and leaning against it.

Adrien stopped massaging Marinette’s legs to reach for his mug of tea, bringing it to his lips and mumbling, “You’re not the only one”.

“What are you drinking?” Marinette tipped her head to the side cutely.

“Mint tea. Would you like some?” he offered.

“Thank you.” She reached out and took his mug, bringing the opposite side of the cup up to her lips for a tentative sip.

“Mm,” she hummed happily, handing the mug back. “That’s really nice.”

Adrien’s expression turned wistful. “When I was little and having a bad day, my mother would make mint tea for me. …It always calms me down when I’m upset or worried.”

Marinette’s eyes narrowed in interest. “What are you worried or upset about now?”

Adrien blinked, freezing up like a diver staring down a great white. “Uhhh…”

“You don’t have to tell me. I didn’t mean to pry.” Marinette backed off, carefully pulling her legs in so that one was tucked underneath her while the other dangled off the side of the couch.

“No. It’s fine. I just…” He bit the inside of his cheek. “I’m just kind of afraid of scaring you off.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever killed anyone?”

“Uh…no,” Adrien answered, puzzled.

“Do you torture people for fun?” she continued the pop quiz with a completely straight face.

“No,” he replied immediately.

“Are you the insanely jealous type who would lock your lover up so she couldn’t cheat on you?” she fired away.

“Definitely not,” he assured.

“Then you have a pretty low chance of scaring me off,” she informed with an encouraging smile. “So, tell me. What’s on your mind that has you seeking comfort in tea?”

Adrien hugged the warm mug to his chest and sighed. “Everything is happening so fast, and I’m kind of…I don’t know. Mixed up. A little apprehensive. A little…confused, I guess.”

“About what?” she pressed gently, studying his face.

He looked away, blushing like a rose bush. “About…my feelings for you. It’s all so sudden and kind of intense. If I didn’t know what was happening, I would swear I was sick. I just…kind of have my head on backwards.”

“Your…feelings for me?” she repeated uncertainly.

He bit his lip, hesitating, but then he forced himself to look at her, meet her sky-blue gaze as he whispered, “Marinette, I’m in love with you.”

The words stole her breath away as waves of joy and fear and longing and panic mixed like volatile chemicals in her gut. She gasped softly, barely a sound.

“Sorry,” he immediately started damage control. “I know. I know it’s sudden, and I know this isn’t a good time. Don’t worry. I’m not asking you to jump into anything. Whatever boundaries you need to put into place, that’s completely fine with me. I mean, I’m kind of panicking over this right now too, so…but you asked what was wrong, and I wanted to be honest with you.” He winced, gazing at her searchingly. “…Was that a bad idea?”

She shook her head, still not completely trusting her voice. “Sorry,” she got out. “I was just…surprised. Love is… This is pretty sudden.”

He looked away, repeating, “I’m sorry. It’s just I—Maybe it would help if I explained…”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Plagg jumped up on the couch and went over to Adrien, butting his head against his boy’s arm and rubbing the side of his face there.

“Thanks, Plagg,” Adrien whispered, scooping the cat up into his arms and nuzzling the soft fur of his friend.

Adrien took another slow breath and then found the courage to look at Marinette. “I realize that I don’t always act quote-unquote ‘normal’. I was home-schooled until I finally convinced my father to allow me to attend university when I was eighteen. I didn’t grow up in contact with very many people, so going to university was my first time interacting with other people my age.”

Marinette frowned. “Are you saying you didn’t have…like…friends before you were eighteen? You didn’t know _anyone_ else your own age?”

Adrien pursed his lips. “I mean…Chloé Bourgeois was brought over to play sometimes. I guess we were kind of friends, but—”

“—No,” Marinette sighed, holding up a hand to silence him. “Stop. I went to school with Chloé. Chloé doesn’t count.”

Adrien shrugged, smiling nervously. “Okay. Then…no. I didn’t have friends until I was eighteen. Now, to my understanding, ‘normal’ people start socializing with peers when they’re pretty little, right? At the very latest, they meet people their age when they start attending school at four or five…so, if you think about it, I’m something like fourteen years behind other people my age when it comes to social interactions.”

Marinette winced, some of the implications of that fact starting to become apparent to her.

“I’ve read a lot of books, and I’ve watched a lot of anime, and that’s what I base my understanding of ‘normal behavior’ on. If you ever see me do something not ‘normal’, it’s not because there’s something wrong with me. It’s because my parents kept me locked up for the first eighteen years of my life, and I’m still learning how the world works,” he explained, hoping she could understand where he was coming from.

He just wanted her to see him for who he was and like him anyway.

“I’m used to formal dinner parties,” he continued. “I know which fork to use for which course and how to address nobility, but when it comes to informal socialization, I’m completely lost. That’s why I didn’t talk much with anyone at the club tonight. I’ve got a lot of social anxiety issues, so it’s hard in a group and meeting new people.”

He snuck a glance at her and was relieved to find sympathy in her eyes. Maybe it would be okay after all.

“So…” Marinette spoke softly. “Do you mind me asking how you know you love me? Not that I think you’re wrong,” she scrambled to add. “Obviously _you_ know how you feel. If you say you’re in love, you’re in love, but…I’m just trying to understand. I’m sorry. It probably doesn’t feel too good to have a girl respond to ‘I love you’ like this.”

Adrien shrugged. “No. It’s okay. We just met a few hours ago. I didn’t really expect for my feelings to be reciprocated. I’m just glad you’re not freaked out.”

“No, I’m not freaked out, Adrien,” she assured. “I’m flattered, and, I mean…I do kind of have a crush developing on you, so it’s not like your attention is unwelcome. It’s just a little much a little too soon, but…you’re sweet.”

She scooted in so that her knee grazed his thigh on the seat of the couch. “If you really are okay with me not being over my breakup and having to take it slow…if you’re patient, maybe everything will work out.”

Slowly, Adrien began to nod. “I think that’s the best answer I could hope for. Thanks for being so kind and understanding.”

“Thanks for being brave enough to put yourself out there,” she replied, giving his arm a gentle pat.

“Thanks,” Adrien whispered as he set Plagg down on the couch to his other side. He then angled himself more towards Marinette. “…I believe you asked for an explanation. This is kind of long and roundabout, but…I’ve never been in love before. I’ve thought people were physically or intellectually attractive, and I’ve been on a few dates, but I had never experienced that moment of falling in love like in novels or the movies.”

He took a deep breath and blew it out in frustration. “I told you I based my understanding of ‘normal behavior’ on anime and books, right? Well, it turns out that a lot of stuff in anime and books isn’t how real life works. I started thinking that falling in love at first sight was one of those things. I started thinking that love wasn’t the way they show in fiction either. God knows, my parents were nothing like the couples in my books, and neither were the Bourgeois. About a year ago, I got really afraid that ‘love’ as I knew it from fiction was just a lie. …But Nino and Alya are really sappy and romantic. I have a couple other friends in relationships that are really lovey-dovey too, so I wasn’t sure what to think anymore.”

He bit his lip. “But then tonight…I saw you, and it was instant. It was everything I’d read about and more. I knew right away that I loved you.”

Marinette blushed, looking bashfully down at her hands. “I can’t remember what I said to you when we met. I wouldn’t have thought I’d made much of an impression.”

Adrien shook his head. “It was before I even talked to you. I was with Nino before the show, and I saw you talking to Alya, and my world kind of stopped spinning for a minute. You were just so gorgeous, and I thought, ‘I have got to get her phone number and invite her to dinner’.”

“Oh,” Marinette remarked hollowly. “So…it was just a physical attraction?” She shifted uneasily, suddenly mindful of the baggy way Adrien’s clothes hung on her frame. “I don’t look half as nice now.”

“Marinette, no,” he hastened to assure, reaching out and catching her hand in his. “You look every bit as lovely without the dress and the makeup. It’s not just a physical attraction. It’s _everything_ about you.”

Her brow creased into a frown. “But we didn’t talk long at all. How could it have been more than a physical attraction at first?”

Adrien’s cheeks reddened, but he held her gaze. “I couldn’t take my eyes off you for the rest of the night. True, we didn’t talk much personally, but I was always hovering around you after that, listening to you talk with others, laughing at your jokes, blown away by how smart and funny and interesting you were. Sorry for eavesdropping, but…” He gave a sheepish shrug, obviously not sorry in the least.

Marinette’s own cheeks were starting to feel sunburned. “So…maybe you know me a little better than I gave you credit for.”

He nodded, squeezing her hand. “I may have fallen in love at first sight, but everything I saw and heard after that only served to make me fall deeper. You’re really amazing. When you were talking with Mylène about the commissions you were working on, you were so passionate and excited about all the little tricks and techniques you were planning to use, and it was so breathtakingly gorgeous. Also, Jagged Stone is my favourite, and it is _so_ cool that you’re his go-to designer. Before you leave tomorrow, could I have you sign my copy of the album cover you designed?” He let go of her hand to press both of his together in a prayerful, pleading gesture.

Marinette broke out into a joyful burst of giggles, delighted by his fanboy behavior. “Oh, definitely. It’s the least I can do.”

“…You’re taking this really well,” Adrien breathed in relief, unable to keep the hopeful smile lighting up his face at bay.

She nodded, giving him a soft look. “It’s nice to be gushed over. It’s been literal years since the last time a guy besides Jagged Stone or my father told me I was wonderful.”

“I will add it to my weekly to-do list,” he promised, crossing his heart.

She started to laugh but then stopped and looked at him, matching the hope in his smile. “Will you really?”

“Definitely,” he stressed.

She went back to giggling in glee. “I’d _really_ love that.”

He put the reminder to add it to his to-do list on his mental fridge beside the note to look up Chinese wedding banquets.

She smiled at him, and his heart felt like it was almost full to bursting with joy. He’d never experienced anything like this before.

“I can’t believe this is really happening,” he breathed, trying to take it all in: her in his flat, on his couch, in his pajamas, not freaking out at his bold declaration of love.

“What’s hard to believe about it?” she wondered, tipping her head to the left.

He shrugged, a dorky grin plastered to his lips. “You have to understand that tonight’s been a complete emotional roller-coaster for me. After the show, I asked Nino why no one had introduced me to you before and if I could get your number, and he told me with such a sad look, ‘Aw, Mec…she has a boyfriend’. I was absolutely _shattered_ , Marinette. It was like…”

He wracked his mind for a simile.

“…Like, before you, I’d been living in the dark, but then I met you, and it was like all the lights had been turned on and I could see everything clearly, really, truly _see_ …. _Then_ , I found out the only woman I’d ever been able to love wasn’t available, and it was like being tossed back into the blackness, no longer accustomed to the dark, to live on feeling empty with only memories of what it was like in the light.”

He gave her an embarrassed smile as he confessed, “I was completely brokenhearted and in the blackest of moods when I left the club. I was going to drive back here and drink myself senseless.”

“Oh, Adrien,” Marinette breathed, completely floored at learning that she’d had such an impact on someone she’d barely spoken to for more than ten minutes put together the whole night at the club.

He shook his head. “It turned out okay,” he assured, reaching out to give her arm a comforting squeeze. “Again, I’m not trying to pressure you. I’m perfectly fine with being friends and getting to know each other better and seeing if you think a relationship is something you’d be interested in. I just—”

She placed a finger over his lips, stopping him mid-sentence.

“I’ve decided,” she announced.

His eyes widened interrogatively.

“I’m over the demise of my former relationship. I’ve been holding myself back for years, and I’m done with that,” she declared with finality in a way that made Adrien realize that she really would carry through. She was determined enough.

“I’m ready to move on and try something new.” She slipped a hand into his. “I want to give things with you a chance.”

Adrien’s mouth fell open, but he wasn’t able to speak, so overwhelmed was he by his good fortune.

“It’s probably going to be difficult while we wait for my feelings to catch up with yours,” she informed him penitently. “And I’m sorry for that…. So that we’re both on the same page, it’s not going to happen overnight. It might not happen next week or next month, but it’s going to happen eventually. I’ve decided that I’m going to fall in love with you, and I’m going to love you just as sweetly and devotedly as you love me.”

Then, gradually, so slowly that he had plenty of time to stop her if he didn’t want her to, Marinette leaned in and pressed a gentle promise of a kiss to his lips.

It was brief and chaste, but Adrien could feel the fireworks exploding inside of him as her lips met his. It was everything he’d wished for in a first kiss without being anything like what he’d pictured.

It ended too soon.

Marinette disengaged, getting up and making her way to the door to the guestroom, smiling back over her shoulder in satisfaction at the state in which she’d left him.

“Goodnight, Adrien,” she sang, voice as sweet as a summer night’s breeze.

The door shut after her, bringing Adrien back to his senses.

He knew he wouldn’t sleep that night. He had too much work to do reorganizing his wedding now that he finally knew who his bride-to-be was.

The next morning was as close to heaven as Adrien had ever been.

He woke to Marinette in his kitchen, making a small breakfast of eggs and toast with a side of fruit salad for the two of them.

They had a long, _long_ breakfast, talking for nearly three hours about themselves, exchanging facts and telling stories, getting to know one another better.

Then, it was finally time to escort Marinette to her parents’ bakery.

She changed into one of Adrien’s most androgynous-looking outfits, and they were on their way, the drive only taking sixteen minutes.

Adrien pulled up to the side of Tom and Sabine’s and put the car in park so that he could get out and open the door for Marinette.

“I guess this is goodbye for now.” He tried not to sound depressed, but he failed miserably.

Marinette laughed affectionately at his plight, leaning in and depositing a butterfly’s-wing-beat-light kiss on his lips. “My parents will be shutting down for their lunch break soon. Why don’t you come inside? I’d love to introduce them to my new boyfriend.”

“B-Boyfriend?” Adrien choked in surprise, heart soaring, unable to believe that all of his dreams were actually coming true.

“Boyfriend,” Marinette confirmed with a soft smile, slipping her hand into his.

“Boyfriend,” Adrien whispered giddily, testing the word on his tongue and finding that it tasted like paradise.

Several times in the previous twenty-four hours, Adrien had discovered new heights of joy. Now, this time for sure, he was certain that he couldn’t possibly survive being any happier…but he was ready and willing for Marinette to prove him wrong.

The

End

**Author's Note:**

> Tada! And they got married within a year, waiting a year before they started having children, of which they had three, spaced two years apart. They grew old together and had a very happy life. The End.
> 
> Anyway. Thoughts? Did you like it? I hope you liked it. Did you have a favourite line or a favourite part? Did anything feel awkward or not quite right? Was Adrien too awkward? Was the way I had him describe falling in love at first sight believable? How was Marinette? Did her character here feel like something that could grow out of how she is in canon?
> 
> Two thoughts: Did anyone appreciate the black Mustang Adrien drives in conjunction with the "knight" metaphor? Also, does anyone else have a mental refrigerator that they stick notes to? Like, I mentally envisage sticking notes to my mental fridge. I don't put notes on the fridge in real life, though. Mummsie would not be pleased. She doesn't like it when I write notes on my hands either. ^.^;
> 
> A note on the title: On Wednesday, I saw a production of Strauss's opera Ariadne auf Naxos (there's a link below in the References, if you want to learn more about the plot of the opera which has pretty much nothing to do with this story ^.^;). The first act was quite good, but the second act was dreadfully boring (The actors/singers were wonderful; it was the pacing of the work that was boring), so I can't really recommend it. Even though I used the title of the opera as the title of my story, my story isn't really related to the opera. The opera is about a comedy troupe and an opera troupe who are asked to perform their shows simultaneously to save time so that the lord of the house can start his fireworks display at nine o'clock sharp. The opera troupe performs a version of the myth of Ariadne (see References for link). THIS is what my story is based on. 
> 
> You know the myth about Theseus slaying the Minotaur and finding his way out of the labyrinth again by following the string that Princess Ariadne gave him? Yeah. Well, after they leave Crete together, he abandons her on the isle of Naxos. Don't worry. Dionysus/Bacchus comes along, falls flat on his face in love with Ariadne, and they go away together and live pretty much happily ever after. As happy as people get in Greek myths, anyway. As you can see, I kind of just took the framework of the myth (girl is abandoned by former lover and rescued by better guy) and ran with it. I hope you enjoyed the spin I put on the scenario.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading. Take care guys!
> 
> Once again, my Tumblr: https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/
> 
> References:  
> Ariadne Myth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariadne#Mythology  
> Ariadne auf Naxos: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariadne_auf_Naxos  
> Ed Sheeran Perfect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDDMYw_IZnE


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